Smiljan Radic, the award-winning Chilean architect, has come up with an 'alien
space pod' design for the 14th Serpentine Pavilion

This year’s Serpentine Pavilion will resemble an alien space pod come to rest in the heart of London.

Smiljan Radic, a Chilean architect, has been chosen to design the pavilion in Kensington Gardens. The annual commission is now in its 14th year.

The semi-translucent structure, made of fibreglass and suspended on quarry stones, will house a café. It opens to the public on June 26.

The directors of the Serpentine, Julia Peyton-Jones and Hans Ulrich Obrist, said: “We are thrilled that Smiljan Radic has designed the Pavilion this year. We have been intrigued by his work ever since our first encounter with him at the Venice Architecture Biennale 2011. Radic is a key protagonist of an amazing architectural explosion in Chile.

“While enigmatically archaic, in the tradition of romantic follies, Radic’s designs for the Pavilion also look excitingly futuristic, appearing like an alien space pod that has come to rest on a Neolithic site.

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“We cannot wait to see his Pavilion installed on the Serpentine Gallery’s lawn this summer.”

Radic said of his design: “Externally, the visitor will see a fragile shell suspended on large quarry stones. This shell - white, translucent and made of fibreglass – will house an interior organised around an empty patio, from where the natural setting will appear lower, giving the sensation that the entire volume is floating.

“At night, thanks to the semi-transparency of the shell, the amber tinted light will attract the attention of passers-by, like lamps attracting moths.”

Radic does most of his work in Chile, including the award-winning Santiago Antenna Tower, but has also been commissioned to create structures in Japan and Austria.